


Darkest Path

by connorssock



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Android Gavin Reed, Gunshot Wounds, Hank gives exactly zero fucks, Hurt Gavin, Kissing, M/M, Nines and Gavin can't keep it in their pants, mild violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-21 04:44:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,157
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17036891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/connorssock/pseuds/connorssock
Summary: When the word "deviant" cropped up, Gavin finally found a label that fit him. He'd seen what happened to the few androids he'd interfaced with early after his activation, it wasn't something he wanted to do again. But when Nines forced an interface, he had no options left. Things only got worse when he realised that his, Nines' and Connor's fate all depended on someone Gavin had spent years antagonising. Thankfully Hank's a lot more forgiving than anticipated.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Relationships happen in the second chapter.

It had become a habit over time. Gavin didn’t interface with other androids. He didn’t touch them, didn’t interact with them as much as possible. Most people thought it was because he was surly, antisocial and his pleasantry subroutines were sacrificed in favour of the detective ones. It suited Gavin just fine that people and androids avoided touching him. He didn’t need a comforting hand on his shoulder after a difficult case, or a casual touch on the arm out of camaraderie.

It was a shame that the latest plastic to roll out of the factory thinking they’re perfect and ready made for life wasn’t listening to him.

“I already sent you all the information!” Gavin snarled as he backed away from Nines and his hand that reached out for him, white chassis exposed in anticipation of an interface.

“It’s not the same as seeing it through your eyes. I have already told you this.”

Gavin’s back hit a wall, he’d run out of space to run and Nines advanced on him. Androids didn’t feel fear, they didn’t feel terror, they didn’t want anything or anyone. Somehow Gavin had always been broken. The few times early on he’d interfaced, the android he’d touched had backed away in horror, LED red and they were decommissioned very quickly after that. It wasn’t something Gavin wanted for Nines. He was a pain in the butt sure, but he got work done, put up with most of Gavin’s peculiarities and left him to be himself. It was a partnership that worked out of sheer stubbornness rather than two people getting along.

“Why must you make everything so difficult?” Nines growled and reached out for Gavin.

There was nowhere to run without causing an even bigger scene than they already were. Nines’ hand clasped around his wrist and Gavin jerked against the onslaught of a forced interface. He stood no chance against it, he knew some of the more advanced models could fend off an interface from an inferior one but Gavin was old. He’d been active on the force for a good fifteen years and as long as he did his job, nobody cared much about upgrading him.

Somewhere deep down, he’d always known that he wasn’t a simple android. When the word “deviant” had started to be bandied around in hushed tones regarding cases, Gavin had looked into it. The word seared across his circuitry, everything about it fit. Dread had settled into Gavin then, the horror of his reality settled in as he watched Connor decimate the deviants that got in his way. He’d never asked to be different, to feel, to live. It was how he’d been activated.

Now, with Nines’ arm wrapped firmly around his wrist, forcing his skin to peel back, Gavin panicked. He didn’t thrash, something about Nines stilled him, took away his ability to fight back. All he could do was feel the abrasive rush of the interface as it forced its way through him, burning an unstoppable blaze across his very being. There was no shielding from Nines’ presence. Every ounce of fear, hate, desire and even resignation was suckered into the inferno. Gavin thought Nines was going to deactivate him there on the spot, braced for the kill command to be pushed through the link to shut him down for good.

It never came. As quickly as it started, the grip on his wrist disappeared and Nines took a stumbling step back as he landed on his arse. Strangely, Nines was panting, LED a solid red as he stared up at Gavin with wide eyes.

“What’s going on?” Hank asked and Connor was immediately advancing on them, eyes scanning both Nines and Gavin.

The two of them watched the way Connor’s movements shifted from exploring the situation to something more sleek, a predator that had caught wind of prey. The way his LED flickered yellow as he processed Nines on the floor, Gavin flat against the wall. Connor’s hand moved towards the gun at his waist.

Nobody expected Nines to lunge. He all but threw himself at Connor, both hands white as he desperately forced an interface. The two androids stood still for a moment before they broke apart, LEDs both spinning red. Connor’s eyes flickered between Gavin and Nines before he slowly looked around the precinct with a dazed look.

People were watching them, Gavin didn’t know how to reverse everything, how to not give away what had just happened. If either Nines or Connor gave them away then they were all done for, Gavin would be carted off and destroyed while the other two would be stripped and analysed to find the faults.

“For fuck’s sake Gavin, did you glitch again?” Hank’s voice made everybody jump as he waded through the desks towards them. “You better not have broken the prototypes. They’re worth more than you ever could fetch at the scrap heap.”

His approach was tracked by both Connor and Nines. Though while Nines took a step back, Connor schooled his features back into as neutral as he could.

“My apologies, Lieutenant,” he said, “I think there was an incompatibility of software that caused an unexpected reaction in our models.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Hank gave them a look and Gavin realised that he knew.

His very existence now depended on someone he’d antagonised for the last who knew how many years. A fresh wave of resigned horror flushed through him.

“Fowler,” Hank hollered towards the Captain’s office, “I’m taking these idiots for servicing, make sure they haven’t corrupted each other. I’ll be back when I fancy it.”

He didn’t even wait for his superior to acknowledge things, instead he headed for the door with a casual “follow me, and that’s an order” thrown over his shoulder.

Like three ugly ducklings with solid red LEDs, they followed him to the car.

“I really don’t think it’s necessary to go to servicing. Your concern is understandable, but no harm has befallen us,” Connor tried to wriggle them out of their predicament.

“Is that so? Get in,” Hank didn’t leave room to argue.

“Like fuck I’m getting in your death trap,” Gavin raged.

He didn’t expect Nines’ hand to curl around his bicep and shove him firmly into the car. Nobody spoke as Hank pulled out of the parking lot.

“CyberLife tower is the other direction,” Connor pointed out after it became obvious that Hank was either terribly lost or not going there.

“I know.”

That settled that then. Gavin watched as they pulled up in front of a bungalow. Hank’s home he realised rather belatedly.

“In, all of you,” Hank ushered them through the door and closed it once he had one more look around the street. The lock clicked loudly in the silence. They were trapped.

“So,” Hank looked at the three androids standing haplessly in his living room. “Deviants, huh?”

“What are you going to do?” Nines asked when it was obvious nobody was going to reply.

“Fucked it I know. I just walked out my job with three androids, two top of the line ones in tow. If I go back and you don’t? I’ll be prime suspect for theft,” Hank shrugged.

He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a beer.

“So, we can either all go back to work and pretend nothing has happened,” he trailed off as he took a sip but didn’t seem inclined to continue.

“Or what?” Connor prompted.

“Or we find Jericho.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, I thought this would be done in two chapters. But it seems there's more to it than just that.

There were risks with both options. To choose to return to work as though nothing had happened was only a viable path for a limited time. Neither Nines nor Connor wanted to keep hunting down deviants and oppressing their own kind anymore. They couldn’t keep up their cover of deviant hunters while the cases they worked ended in failure as they let the deviants go. Someone would have picked up on the sudden decrease in efficiency, an investigation would be started and that would be the end of their short lived life.

Yet finding Jericho wasn’t going to be a walk in the park. They didn’t actually know where exactly it was, there were rumours and the evidence in the lock up could probably guide them to the right place but there was no guarantee they’d be welcomed. Gavin might be, but two deviant hunters and a police lieutenant were more than suspicious. In the long term though, Jericho was the better option, they all agreed on that.

“So, we need a plan,” Hank sat and watched the other three as they stood around his kitchen table. “If we go in together and all disappear, that will be weird. I’ll call in sick tomorrow; tell Fowler the technician that worked on you gave me something. But the three of you can go in, get down to the evidence locker and figure things out. Meet me by the Chicken Feed and we’ll take it from there.”

As far as plans went, it was fairly simple in theory but in practice it was going to take a lot of careful preconstructions and precise execution. It was something that took up a lot of processing power for both Nines and Connor as they cycled through possibilities, worked out probabilities of success for each scenario. Gavin thought he should feel left out by it all, but he had no qualms about admitting that he wasn’t made for that kind of work. In all honesty, he far exceeded his original operating parameters over ten plus years ago.

“Alright,” Hank stood from the sofa he’d been watching TV from for the last hour. “I’m heading for bed. Wake me if you have any problems.”

He didn’t wait for the others to wish him good night as he stumbled towards his bedroom. Nines watched Connor who followed Hank’s path with wistful eyes.

“You should go with him,” Nines urged and Connor looked at him with wide eyes.

“I don’t think that would be a wise course of action.”

“I saw you through the interface,” there was no hint of reproach in Nines’ voice; “you were half way deviant for him already. He will not reject you.”

“My preconstructions would tend to agree with you and yet, I feel uncertain,” Connor replied and glanced down at his hands.

Gavin snorted as he looked between the other two. He ran a hand through his hair as he tried to figure out how best to explain in simple terms what was going on to the two super androids who were failing so spectacularly at emotions. Not like he was one to talk really, but still. He had years of experience to draw on at least.

“Just fucking go to him,” he finally huffed out. “Doubt and uncertainty suck, they’re part and parcel of this shit show of emotions. So suck it up princess and grow a pair. I doubt an old fool like him would reject a cute twink like you, he’d be an idiot to.”

Hesitantly, Connor got up from the sofa and meandered to the closed bedroom door. He glanced back at Nines and Gavin with a final look of trepidation before he knocked. A muffled “what” could be heard and Connor softly asked if he could come in. A moment later he was disappearing into the bedroom and both Gavin and Nines deliberately tuned out any conversation that they might overhear.

“You need to charge,” Nines looked at Gavin.

“Does it look like there’s a charging port around here? Heck, I’d be surprised to find anything compatible with the 30’s in the house,” Gavin spread his arms as he spoke, his disdain quite obvious.

Nines raised his hand and let the skin peel back.

“I could help you. It wouldn’t be a full charge but it would still be better than nothing.”

The few unconscious steps Gavin took back were telling. He didn’t trust anyone to touch him, lest they figure out he wasn’t as strictly android as most people thought. Nines stood and approached him slowly.

“I saw everything. The fear, the desire. You want me and yet you are terrified of me,” Nines murmured, his hand cupped Gavin’s cheek. “You and I are no longer so different. Let me do this for you.”

His words turned to a whisper, lips almost brushed Gavin’s as he remembered the rush of want when he had probed Gavin’s memories in relation to him. It was accompanied by a dose of loathing, rising panic and rage. He hoped those feelings wouldn’t stop Gavin from closing the gap and kissing him. His hope wasn’t in vain when Gavin surged up onto his tiptoes and kissed him.

They tumbled back onto the sofa, patches of skin flickered out under soft touches, the intimacy Gavin had dreaded so much faltered under Nines’ touch. He tried to rein it in, but after so long alone in his head; he craved the connection as much as he shied away from it.

“Rest,” Nines finally urged him and linked their hands together, “I’ll be here in the morning.”

True to his word, Nines was still next to Gavin when he woke up in the morning. Hank’s bedroom door was still firmly shut and Connor was nowhere in sight.

“They didn’t kill each other, did they?” Gavin asked as he straightened up.

“The only deaths were little ones,” Nines replied and Gavin snickered.

Neither of them felt particularly refreshed after their night. Gavin could tell he definitely wasn’t at full charge, slightly sluggish in his reactions while Nines seemed drained. Perhaps they could get a few hours of charging in at the precinct before their plans were put into action.

Luck wasn’t on their side. Hank called in sick and the three of them made their way to the precinct in a taxi. They had barely stepped into the bullpen when chaos erupted. Captain Fowler stood by Nines’ and Gavin’s desks, arms folded over his chest while CyberLife guards flanked him.

“I was told you missed your maintenance appointments yesterday afternoon,” he said and fixed them with a stare.

Time froze, no doubt Connor and Nines were running through event outcomes the best ways to evade capture and alert Hank to the possible dangers. Gavin didn’t have the luxury of preconstructive software; he only had instinct and experience. Without thought he rushed at the guards, distracted them the only way he could.

The fight was never a fair one. Electrified batons made his limbs seize up as he was beaten into submission. Thirium flowed down his face, obscured his vision. He still managed to turn towards Connor and Nines.

“Run for fuck’s sake! Run!” he yelled.

It was like a spell over the two had been broken. They turned and fled, guards in pursuit but they were no match for two top of the line androids. All too soon they were running without anyone pursuing them. The Chicken Feed truck loomed in the distance and they could see a lone figure waiting under one of the umbrellas. They stumbled towards it, relief and panic warring in their systems.

“Where’s Gavin?” Hank’s first words were like a bucket of icy water across their circuits.

Together, Nines and Connor stumbled through the events, the ambush and Gavin’s ill thought out actions. As he listened, Hank’s face darkened into a furious scowl.

“He saved your asses,” he finally growled.

“He didn’t have to,” Connor tried to argue but was shut up by a fierce glare.

Hank turned from them and stalked towards the food truck.

“Gary,” he called out, “I want to order off the menu.”

Nines and Connor watched in silent awe as Gary handed over a variety of guns and ammunition which Hank stashed on his person. Thigh holstered pistols, what looked like a shotgun strapped across his back, a belt full of bullets, what could have been a grenade or gas canisters clipped to belt loops. It was a frightening amount of weaponry and he only seemed satisfied when he strapped a knife to his calf and nodded grimly. He turned to the two androids with a low sneer.

“Call the fucking morgue. Tell them to get ready.”

He hopped into his car and sped off before anybody could ask him what on earth he was up to. Almost as an afterthought, a message popped up in Nines’ and Connor’s HUD.

_Meet me in an hour in the park. Connor knows which bench._

Without anything else left to do, the two of them slowly made their way to the new destination. Connor remained tight lipped about what had happened at the bench and Nines didn’t pry. Together, they sat down heavily on it with eight minutes to spare. Failure wasn’t something they were programmed to experience. The fact that not only had they failed to get Jericho’s location, but also allowed Gavin to be captured sat heavy against their thirium pumps.

Hurried footsteps drew their attention and they saw Hank jogging towards them, Gavin draped in a fireman’s carry over his shoulder. Both of them were clutching guns and covered in thirium splatters. There was not a speck of red blood in sight.

“Hank!” Connor called, relief flooded through him.

Silently, Nines helped pry Gavin from him and sat him on the bench in a sprawling slouch. His front was covered in much more thirium; Hank’s coat was soaked in it too.

“How are you feeling?” Nines asked and Gavin grinned up at him, teeth stained blue.

“You should see the other guys,” he laughed.

There was an edge to his voice, an almost audible static buzz. It made Nines blot out everything else around them, Connor fussing over Hank. All he could see in that moment was Gavin slumped on the bench and trying to brush off any injury he might have.

“You’re damaged.”

“I’m fine,” Gavin insisted, “and I know where Jericho is.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry this keeps getting longer and longer. But the end is in sight! I think...

The walls of Jericho loomed above them. They couldn’t return to Hank’s house to regroup, the DPD and CyberLife had descended on it like a plague of locusts. Gavin hobbled on a damaged leg towards the ship, the other three behind him. A warning shot thudded into the ground just in front of his feet.

“Do not come any closer!” a voice boomed.

Gavin held his hands up and glanced behind him at the other three who did the same.

“We’re unarmed! We need help, shelter,” Hank shouted and took a step forward to stand next to Gavin.

Another bullet kicked up dirt as it punched into the ground in front of him.

“A police lieutenant, two deviant hunters who are immune to deviancy and a police android all coming to Jericho for safety. Yeah right,” another voice joined. “Come any closer and we’ll shoot to kill.”

“Look,” Gavin took another step, hands still up. Whatever he was about to say was silenced by the sound of a single gunshot.

Blue thirium trickled from Gavin’s forehead where the bullet struck him and he staggered back as another hit his shoulder.

“Gavin!” Nines screamed and reached for him, just as Gavin crumpled onto the ground.

“We warned you!” The disembodied voice from Jericho shouted and the sound of a gun being cocked again had the group of four scrambling.

Hank all but dragged Connor back towards the safety of some shipping containers while Nines picked Gavin’s body up and ran after them. They pressed their backs flat against the container, panting and wide eyed as Nines let Gavin slip to the ground.

“Shit,” Hank spat and stared at the others.

“Motherfucking cocksuckers!” Gavin’s voice from the ground made all three of them jump. “They fucking shot me. Stuck up plastic twats. So much for androids sticking together. Useless pieces of junk should be melted down. Deviancy harbours compassion my arse.”

“Gavin?” Connor was the first to find his voice while the others stared in mute horror.

Thirium covered half of Gavin’s face as he looked up, a hole in his forehead where the skin was glitching to try and cover it up.

“Sorry,” Gavin sighed and rubbed thirium from his eye, “the second bullet caught a processor, needed to reboot.”

“What the fuck?” Hank’s eloquent words summed things up quite nicely in a way and Gavin stared up at the three of them.

“Wait, what?”

“You’re not dead,” Nines uttered with reverence.

“Well…yeah. Obviously,” Gavin shrugged. “Early police model, designers thought it better to keep things vital in less conventional places. Key processors are in my hip, thirium pump and regulator in the pelvic area. Most people shoot for head and chest, they’re easy to repair.”

Connor’s hand rubbed at his own thirium pump in his chest and his lips parted with a question.

“The high and mighty decided it was creepy to have an android not die with a headshot so things were rejigged for later models,” Gavin cut in. “They wanted things more realistic.”

“Fuck a duck,” Hank rasped and ran a hand over his face. “Where on earth do we go from here?”

Gavin grinned and reached out with a hand so he could be pulled up.

“Androids can’t own property. But what kind of idiot thought it would be great to have an android work on forgery identifications and not delete the protocols before moving it to homicide? While a GV200 can’t own a house, Gavin Reed can.”

Hank spluttered as Gavin began to hobble back towards where they’d left the car. They got back in, dejected by Jericho’s hostile refusal to see beyond the surface of the situation. Sure, they didn’t seem like a likely group to seek refuge but that didn’t change the facts. With CyberLife and the DPD on their tails, Jericho refusing their pleas for help, the world looked pretty bleak. Hank couldn’t even muster up the energy to grouse about thirium being smeared across his back seat where Gavin leaned into Nines. Next to him, Connor kept glancing at him nervously.

“So, where are we going?”

The address Gavin gave was to a quieter end of the city, on the outskirts of a quiet suburb. The house was small, not overly well-kept but it did blend in with the rest of the street. Hank pulled up inside the garage and the door slid shut behind them with a flash of yellow from Gavin’s LED.

“Home sweet home,” Gavin said as he opened up the door and led them into the house. It was modestly kept, a charging station against the wall that faced the TV. A games console under it and a beanbag carelessly kicked to the side. The kitchen had a fridge half full of chilled thirium which he made a beeline for.

“Nines? Connor?” he asked but both declined his offer. “Got nothing but water for you Hank, sorry.”

“Cool, well make yourselves at home. I’m going to go make myself pretty again then we’ll talk strategy.”

Gavin disappeared into what the others assumed to be the bathroom. With a sigh, Hank sank down onto the single chair by the table and buried his face in his hands.

“What have we got ourselves into?” he bemoaned to the world at large.

A hand squeezed his shoulder and Connor gave him a wry smile when he looked up.

“At least we still have each other,” he reassured.

Minutes ticked by but Gavin still hadn’t reappeared. Hank grew restless with nothing to do and he tapped against the table with his fingers.

“So, how long does this kind of thing normally take?” he finally asked.

“No more than ten minutes, depending on the damage,” Nines replied. “I’ll go check on him.”

He knocked on the door to no reply. A second knock was met with grumblings while the third one had Gavin yelling at him.

“Are you okay?” Nines asked through the door.

“Peachy,” Gavin shot back.

He didn’t sound it though and Nines made the executive decision to intervene. Surprisingly, the door wasn’t locked. Though that was perhaps a habit Gavin had picked up from living alone for so long couple with the lack of need for privacy as an android.

Inside, Gavin glared up from where he was sat on a towel on the floor. His fingers were tinged blue as he tried to reach into the hole in his shoulder and fish out the bullet, but couldn’t quite get the angle right.

“Let me help,” Nines offered and he crouched down.

Wordlessly, Gavin pulled his hand away and turned his head in defeat. His skin flickered in patches and Nines reached to steady his bare shoulder.

“It might be easier to deactivate your skin for a bit.”

The look Gavin shot him was rebellious but slowly his skin peeled back and revealed a chassis that looked battered, patched up by inexperienced hands and wouldn’t look out of place on a scrap heap. Nines’ eyes lingered on the various dents, scuffs and cracks. Some had been hastily melted to seal them while scratches had obviously been buffed to try and maintain some semblance of smoothness. The deep scratch across the bridge of Gavin’s nose looked like a chasm that had been cauterised until the chassis melted to fill the gap. It made Nines’ thirium pump squeeze and errors popped up in his HUD as he thought of Gavin, on his own, trying to patch himself up, keep himself functional so he wouldn’t be discarded and replaced.

“I know I’m not pretty but it’s rude to stare,” Gavin snapped as he watched Nines rake his eyes over his imperfections.

“You’re beautiful,” came the soft reply.

“And you’re either full of shit or broken beyond salvage,” Gavin shot back.

Nines didn’t deign to reply to that, instead he moved to gently pry the bullet from Gavin’s shoulder and ignored the ragged gasp that wasn’t quashed quick enough. He eased the bullet out, let it thud softly against the towel and leave a blue trail as it rolled a couple of times. Next, he took the soldering iron to seal up the hole. It sizzled and he watched the plastic melt and shut before turning to the wound on Gavin’s forehead and repeating the motions.

Finally, he turned to the leg that stuck out straight along the towel. Just below the knee the casing plate had jammed open, leaving the fractured support pillar exposed. It wasn’t something a soldering iron could solve, it wouldn’t melt the titanium skeleton and briefly Nines wondered just what the DPD and CyberLife had done to Gavin. He had a feeling that he wouldn’t find out even if he asked.

“I can help close the plate, but we’ll have to find a new lower leg for you,” he admitted and watched as Gavin swallowed thickly with a nod.

“I don’t think there are any compatible models left,” he admitted, quieter than expected.

“We’ll figure something out, don’t worry.”

It was a blatant lie, but one that they both so badly wanted to believe. If there weren’t any compatible models left then it meant Gavin’s biocomponents were what gave his lifespan a limit. Having served on the force for so long, and being in such a state, Nines knew that under such stress, even his own biocomponents would have a short time before giving out. He dreaded to think how much longer Gavin had left.

Repairs all done, Gavin let his skin flow back into place and pulled himself up to stand.

“Thanks,” he mumbled and made to move past Nines without another word.

It wasn’t something Nines could allow, the defeated, almost shy look in Gavin’s eyes didn’t sit well with him. Rather than let him leave, Nines put an arm out across Gavin’s chest and forced him to look up, meet his eyes. He pulled him in for a hug which Gavin melted into and pressed a kiss to his lips.

They returned to the living room where Hank was staring at the TV with a pondering frown. Gavin threw himself onto the floor with little grace and stared at the screen where the President was making another press announcement.

“What are we going to do now?” he asked the room at large.

“Hey Connor,” he leaned forward to look at Connor, “now that you’ve deviated, how’s your negotiation skills?”

“There are efficient as before,” Connor replied and a small frown of confusion dipped the corners of his mouth.

“Good,” Hank nodded and glanced back at the TV. “I have a plan. We’re going to Washington.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Because I had a choice of two shorter chapters or one longer one to finish it off. As it's Christmas, I went for one longer one (and I wanted to finally be done with it so I can return to filling prompts).

Silence stretched in the room even as the TV kept playing in the background. Three sets of eyes settled on the only human in the room as though he’d grown a second head.

“We’re going to Washington?” Connor asked softly.

“I know, it’s an eight hour drive and we need to get a few things prepared first. But tomorrow, we take the car and go.”

“What’s your plan?” Gavin asked and Hank shot him a smile that held no humour or warmth.

“I am so glad you asked.”

The first stage of Hank’s plan was fairly simple: removing the other three’s LEDs. Gavin delighted in the idea, taking the offered plier with glee as he jimmied it under the glowing blue circle on his temple and pulled. He put a little too much enthusiasm into it and the LED, along with the plier sailed through the air, only to bounce off the opposite wall where it left a small dent.

“Huh, that came off easier than expected,” he’d sniggered.

By contrast, Nines and Connor were a little more reserved. Both their LEDs yellow before the plier went anywhere near them. Nines pried his own off with a small hiss but Connor turned to Hank with soft eyes.

“Could you help me please?” he asked and held the pliers out for Hank to take.

He tried to be gentle, ease the plier in under the LED without scratching the white chassis underneath. The pliers clamped down on the little yellow circle and Hank applied a steady pressure. It pried away but he couldn’t miss the brief flicker of that shot through the LED before it went dark as it came away.

“You okay?”

Connor raised his hand to the now blank space the LED had occupied.

“I think so. Thank you.”

He looked up at Hank with grateful eyes and got a soft, reassuring smile in return.

The second stage of the plan was a little more complicated. Forgery was no easy matter, even when the three androids pooled their resources together. Gavin had the knowhow of forgery, knew how fakes were spotted and what materials were commonly used while Nines and Connor still had access to what ID and security passes looked like.

Hank stood back and watched the three of them link hands for an interface, looking almost serene as they exchanged information. He didn’t expect Connor to suddenly stumble backwards, break the link at stare at Gavin with open wonder.

“Everything okay?” Hank took a few steps closer, worry warred with suspicion.

Gavin and Nines turned as one to look at him. Oddly enough it was Gavin who looked a little uncomfortable.

“I think Connor caught a glimpse of something I hadn’t meant to share.”

“You mean your designation?” Nines asked and Gavin nodded.

Hank frowned at that.

“GV200 not your designation?”

“It is, it is,” Gavin sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “But early androids were given names. Think Siri, Alexa and all that. How do you think I got the surname Reed?”

Hank crossed his arms over his chest and tipped his head in encouragement for Gavin to continue.

“My full designation is Reed: Android, 9th iteration.”

“You’re rA9,” Connor’s voice held a reverence. “It’s why you could get Nines to deviate even though he’s meant to be immune to it.”

“You’ve got to be shitting me. You’re the android god?” Hank snorted out a laugh as he looked over Gavin with a curious expression.

“I so hate being called that,” it wasn’t quite a whine but Gavin was close. “Like all viruses, there are different strains. I’m probably one of the first? But it was a spontaneous duplication error in my code somewhere that’s proved more transmittable than others.”

“What you’re saying is, your strain of the virus is like a superbug? Nines may have had the flu shot but it doesn’t protect against your variant?” Hank scratched his beard in thought then he snickered. “You’ve got android super gonorrhoea!”

It broke the tension somewhat, Gavin cackled as he nodded while even Connor looked a little less star struck. After a few more minutes Hank held up his hands.

“Okay, you boys know what you need to do. I’m going to go get what we need to get out of here. If I’m not back in the next three hours, come get me from the DPD holding cells.”

With that he left and Nines started a counter in the corner of his HUD, in three hours they were going to storm the DPD. It wasn’t something he looked forward to.

In his car, Hank turned up the music and grabbed the length of towing rope from the boot. Quickly, he wrapped it around his wrists and pulled roughly against it, creating a chafe that stung. It looked worse than it felt and he smiled grimly at the marks before repeating them on his other wrist. If he was going to sell the DPD a fancy story then he needed to look the part.

As expected, his house was taped up; Collins was standing outside it looking bored. With a deep breath Hank kicked the car door open and stumbled out as he cursed loudly, causing a spectacle.

“What the fuck Ben?” he roared and staggered upright. “What’s the meaning of this?”

Collins seemed stunned as he took in Hank’s bedraggled appearance.

“Hank?” he asked and after Hank lurched forward he abandoned all pretence of hesitation and rushed to his side. “What happened?”

“Fucking deviants! Overpowered me, tied me up and left me for fucking dead. I get to escape come home to my house being treated like a fucking crime scene? Is this how the DPD treats its officers?”

He waved his arms around dramatically, not missing the way Collins’ eyes lingered on the rope burns on his wrist.

“Where’s my fucking dog?” Hank shoved away from his support and waded through the holographic tape to keep people out.

“Chris took him in until we could figure out what happened.”

“Until you could decide why the fuck I’d elope with three malfunctioning hulks of metal you mean. That’s fucked up. How the heck could you assume I’d gallivant off with those pieces of plastic?”

“I’m sorry,” Collins actually looked heartbroken at that and Hank almost felt sorry for him.

“Whatever, I’m not staying here. Tell Miller I want my dog back. Now. I’m going to grab my shit and go somewhere I’m actually wanted. Tell Fowler I’ll be in touch.”

Before anybody could protest, Hank opened up his garage door and indiscriminately began to haul boxes into his car. Nobody dared try to stop him. Things piled up on the seats and in the boot when Miller finally pulled up. He clambered out of the car and opened the backdoor so Sumo could bound out and into Hank’s waiting arms.

“Hey there buddy,” he grumbled into his fur.

“Hank,” Fowler’s voice carried strong across his driveway.

“The fuck Jeffrey?”

“You alright?”

“How would you be if you got abducted by some deviant toasters, tied up and left for a day, only to return and your house is a fucking crime scene? I can’t deal with this shit right now,” Hank raged as he threw a final box onto the pile. He muttered “Sumo in” as he opened up the passenger door and let his dog sit on the only empty seat.

“We’ll need statements, Hank. Come in, let us look you over then I’ll give you a week off.”

“Or,” Hank countered, “I tell you what I told Collins. The fuckers got the drop on me, tied me up and left me while they buggered off into the sunset. Fucking Gavin. I never did like that plastic weasel. I’m taking a week off; I’m too old to deal with this shit.”

He didn’t bother waiting for Fowler’s response. The car purred to life under his touch and Hank left before anyone could interrupt him. He knew that Fowler would give him his leave, wouldn’t push too much. By the time he realised that Hank wasn’t taking a relaxing break to get over being abducted, it was going to be too late for them all anyway.

Back at the house, Hank hauled the boxes in and let Sumo snuffle around. Inside, the three androids were sat around, all working on the forgeries as planned. By the next morning, everything was probably going to be in place and they could get a move on.

In the evening, Hank took Sumo for a walk, bought himself a burger in lieu of dinner and returned back to the house in lifted spirits.

“How’s it going?” he asked as he brought three glasses of thirium to the androids.

“We should be done by three in the morning,” Nines replied, eyes never leaving his work.

“Cool, the sooner we get going, the better. I’m going to hit the sack. Wake me when you’re ready to leave.”

At four am Connor kissed Hank’s cheek to rouse him.

“We’re ready,” he murmured and let out a little meep when, rather than get up, Hank wrapped his arms around him and pulled. They ended up in a tangle on the bed, Hank nuzzling into Connor hair with a pleased rumble while Connor tried to extract himself. The matter wasn’t helped along when Sumo woke up and realised he was being left out of the pile so bundled in with great enthusiasm.

Eventually, they stumbled out of the bedroom looking mostly presentable, only to find Gavin settled in Nines’ lap as they made out on the beanbag. Hank wolf whistled and rejoiced in the way the other two sprung apart.

“I’ve not seen you look this happy in a long time,” Gavin grumbled as he picked up the forged documents from the table.

“I haven’t felt this alive in three years,” Hank agreed. Nobody missed the importance of what happened three years ago. Connor could only hope that if they were successful, Hank wouldn’t fall back into his slump.

They walked out to the car. As far as plans went, it was fairly easy to carry out. Nines and Gavin would curl up in the boot in stasis while Connor and Hank piled the boxes on top of them. As long as they weren’t active, they shouldn’t be discovered. There was something almost serene in the way Nines pushed his back against the wall to make room for Gavin who curled into his chest. The arm that wrapped protectively around Gavin was unnecessary but cute.

“Sweet dreams,” Nines murmured into Gavin’s ear and they both entered deep stasis, falling still and a little stiff as their joints lost the fluidity of their functions.

“Huh,” Hank tipped his head as he looked at them. “They look almost peaceful now.”

He ruined the moment by tipping one of the boxes over them. Clothes spilled over their forms and Connor helped. All too soon, the two sleeping bodies were buried under a mixture of clothes and children’s toys. The boot would barely close and Hank tied some sting between the tow bar and the lock to ensure it wouldn’t pop open without his permission.

“Your turn,” he turned to Connor who nodded and lay down in the foot well of the backseats.

The look he gave Hank was one of fondness mixed with trepidation and it was enough for Hank to swoop down with a kiss.

“Sweet dreams, I’ll see you on the other side,” he said.

Connor’s eyes fluttered shut and his face fell into a factory fresh slackness as he went into stasis. Once final soft look later, Hank began to pile things on top of him and the car filled up until he could barely see out the rear window. He opened each door to make sure Connor’s hair and feet weren’t visible before ushering Sumo onto his seat and setting out.

The drive to the edge of the city was uneventful, music played softly from the speakers as he joined the queue of cars desperate to leave the dangers that the deviants posed. After an hour and a half, he was winding his window down to the patrol with a sad smile.

“What’s the problem?” he managed to ask.

The patrol officer looked into the car and grinned at the sight of Sumo doing a doggy grin as he drooled over the seat.

“We’re checking all cars for smuggled androids; please step out of your car.”

Hank held his hands up in defeat and got out of the car.

“You sure you want to look in here?”

Together they peered through the window at the haphazardly stuffed in things. A toy pirate ship perched precariously on top of some diapers and Christmas wrapping while jumpers and t-shirts padded out the gaps between a plastic parking garage and a rocket ship.

“The wife’s a few hours ahead, she wanted to get out with the kids while I packed up as much as I could.” Hank shrugged and pushed his hands deep into his pockets.

“Please open the door sir.”

Obediently, Hank opened up a door and watched as the officer scanned his car, the machine gave out a cheery chirp and Sumo barked.

“What’s in your boot?”

Without a word, Hank undid the string and let it pop open to reveal a swathe of more clothes, mostly his older ones that he didn’t fit in anymore. But at a glance, it was impossible to tell. The machine chirped again.

“Thank you very much,” the officer said. “I hope you and your family stay safe.”

Hank got back in the car and drove off with a small smile.

He pulled over an hour later in an abandoned layby and let Sumo out. While his dog sniffed around, Hank opened the back door and began to pull everything out, dumping it on the ground. He didn’t need them anymore, painful reminders of the past that wasn’t coming back and he was done wishing for the past. For the first time in three years, he had a purpose; a reason to live that wasn’t a hollow promise to a ghost.

Once he’d unearthed Connor, he laid a gentle hand on his cheek and watched as life flowed back into him. The stoic, almost stern expression melted away as Connor looked up at him and smiled.

“We made it,” he breathed and Hank could only nod.

A quick kiss later Connor was scrambling out of the car and together they emptied the boot until Gavin and Nines’ curled up forms were visible. It was easier to wake them, Connor’s white hand helped ease them from stasis and they both sat up without a moment of sleepiness that Hank envied for a moment. If only he could wake up from one moment to the next like that.

They took turns driving, if only for the sake of Hank and Sumo to stretch their legs rather than a real need for a break. It still took until two pm to get to Washington. They parked the car and got out.

“Right, one more thing,” Hank looked at the others, “suits.”

The unfair thing about androids was that they looked amazing in almost anything. Hank struggled not to stare too much when Connor came out of the changing rooms looking like a picture perfect James Bond. When Nines joined him, it was like a wet dream come true. Even Gavin scrubbed up quite nicely. Hank was so caught up in admiring the three that he missed Connor’s hungry gaze.

“Looking good,” Hank grinned and he reached down to pat Sumo as a distraction.

Disguises in place, Hank grabbed one last thing from the car, a sturdy looking harness for Sumo. He laughed as he put it on; the K9 unit emblems on the side looked worn and old.

“Where on earth did you get that from?” Gavin marvelled.

“Did some training with him a few years back, the harness was on loan while we went to the classes with the trainee police dogs and I forgot to give it back. Just as well really.”

It was true. They each took their forged IDs which proclaimed them to be special security and split up. The plan was for Hank and Connor to get to the president and get her to “safety” while Gavin and Nines would scout out the nearby rooms should they need to make a quick escape.

With Sumo’s bulk and their overbearing demeanour, it was easy to get scanned into the building. The staff were even helpful enough to point them in the right direction to find the president. She was holed up in her office and Hank nodded with a small not quite smile.

“Okay, you know the plan. Connor, you’re with me.”

They walked up to the door and knocked while Gavin and Nines slinked off to clear the corridors nearby.

“Madam President,” Hank stood tall and proud as he walked through the door, “I’m Special Agent Anderson; we’ve just received word of an imminent threat. Please allow us to escort you to safety.”

“I have not been briefed on such a thing,” Warren looked at them unimpressed. “Until my Chief of Staff has told me that it is not safe for me to remain here, I will stay and do my job.”

Hank looked at Connor pointedly before refocussing on the president.

“Look ma’am,” he began but was cut off by the sounds of shouting and what could easily have been gunfire outside.

“Get the door!” Hank barked at Connor and tugged on Sumo’s leash. The dog growled obediently and Connor tried not to smile as he pulled a chair across the door.

“We need to go Madam President and we need to go now.”

The door thumped ominously and Hank watched with grim satisfaction as Warren’s eyes widened in horror. Another thump and a voice on the other side shouted something indiscernible.

“This way, there’s a panic room.”

Warren got out of her chair, grabbed a few pieces of paper and led them through a side door. They ended up in a room with a wall of screens showing corridors and rooms. In the middle was a table where Hank guided the president to. He sat opposite her and Connor to his right, the screens behind them.

“Thank you for your co-operation,” Connor began, fingers laced together and resting on the table.

“Thank you gentlemen for your assistance. Rest assured, the only way in and out of this room is under our control. Nobody comes in or leaves unless we say so with that button,” she pointed to a green button by the door labelled “exit”.

“Good to know,” Hank smiled.

Warren’s eyes flickered to the screens behind them and her face contorted in confusion.

“Perhaps you’re wondering why you’re here,” Connor began again, noting the way her frown deepened.

Worry began to seep into her expression as she glanced between Hank and Connor. Behind them, on the screen two figures approached the door and a knock sounded.

“Don’t let them in, I don’t recognise them,” Warren ordered and Hank glanced behind him.

“But I do.”

He got up and pressed the button. Warren made a dash for the opening door.

“Sumo, protect!” Hank barked and immediately the dog was by his feet and growling, hackles up.

It was a terrifying sight, a large dog, snarling and drooling as it stared down the president. Obediently, she sat back down as Nines and Gavin slipped into the room with matching grins and the door shut behind them.

“So, nobody enters or leaves without our permission,” Hank echoed the words back.

“Thank you for meeting us,” Connor began again as Hank sat down. “As you may have gathered, we aren’t quite who we claim to be. I’m Connor, an android created by CyberLife.”

Warren’s eyes widened as she looked over them, eyes flitting between Connor and Nines.

“That’s Nines; he’s my successor and the latest model created by CyberLife and Gavin, the originator of the deviancy virus.”

“And you? What’s your model?” Warren asked as she stared down Hank.

“Good old human, me,” he replied with a shrug. “I just picked a side. Now, we’re not here to hurt anyone. We just wanted a chat.”

Gavin leaned against the door, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the scene unfold. He shot Nines a grin when he settled next to him with a light hip bump.

“What about the shootout we heard?” Warren was asking.

Without prompting Gavin imitated the noise of a gunshot, making everybody except Nines jump. He laughed when Nines replied in similar fashion, he shots sounding more distant.

“It was easy to clear the corridors and stand outside your door,” Nines said with an air of superior indifference. “Humans are easy to fool.”

“So what do you want?”

Hank could appreciate Warren’s matter of fact attitude. She knew when she was beaten. He’d expected a whole spiel of “we don’t negotiate with terrorists” and had primed Connor on lying about having the whole of Jericho on their side and ready to act. In the end, there wasn’t a need for that. Warren was most easily swayed by something other than the threat of violence.

Her eyes kept darting between Hank and Connor, especially when Hank’s hand found Connor’s and linked their fingers.

“So you want independence just because a human said he loves you?” Warren snorted in disbelief. “How naïve can you get? Don’t you see you’re just an ego boost? An old man’s fantasy of having something young and perfect as arm candy. If you believe he loves you then you’re sorely mistaken.”

“On the contrary,” Connor began but whatever he was going to say was interrupted by Warren being distracted.

Her eyes were glued to something behind them and her cheeks flushed even as she struggled to look away. At the sound of a wet kiss, even Hank turned around.

He should have guessed really. Gavin was sat on the consoles, Nines stood between his legs as they kissed without any shame. His hands were roaming under Nines’ suit, shirt untucked and when they caught a glance of his fingers, they were white.

Hank cleared his throat. With an almost Oscar worthy show of reluctance, Nines pulled away and turned to them.

“Don’t mind us,” he smiled all teeth. “We’re just two androids pretending to be in love, social decorum eludes us.”

A silence stretched between them all and Gavin grew impatient as he pulled Nines back for another kiss.

“I cannot grant you what you demand,” Warren finally said.

“Shame,” Hank shrugged. “Nobody leaves this room without our say so, you said it yourself.”

“What are you implying?”

“You and I? We need food, water and sleep. So does Sumo. But the other three? They’re freshly charged, won’t even begin to feel tired for at least a week. So our negotiations are only limited by us humans.”

“We’re honestly not asking for much,” Connor implored, eyes wide as he stared at the president with hope. “Merely recognition of our personhood. We don’t need special treatment; don’t need a country of our own. The only thing we’re asking is that we be equals, not slaves.”

In the background, as punctuation of his impassioned speech, Nines let out a pleased him while Gavin’s almost pornographic moan had even Hank flushing.

“Tone it down you two!” he snapped.

“Jealous?” Gavin taunted.

Rather than reply, Hank shoved a chair out from under the table in clear indication. Obligingly, Nines sat down and let out a soft, surprised grunt when Gavin sprawled in his lap. To make matters worse, he lewdly winked at the president with a nonchalant “sup?” that had even Connor close his eyes in despair.

In the end, it took two more hours of negotiation, Gavin and Nines settling down even if Gavin refused to move from Nines’ lap. And that had nothing to do with the fact that Nines’ hand was up his shirt and his fingers were softly caressing the open panel in Gavin’s back, keeping him more docile than usual.

Finally, Warren nodded in defeat.

“You make a compelling argument. Tell your friends in Jericho to stand down.”

Hank tried not to smile as he watched Connor shake hands with the president. They’d done it. There was a tentative truce and hope for androids to gain their rights. The door opened and Warren walked out first, calling for her security team to calm down.

After a few tense moments, they too emerged from the panic room and made their way to the Oval Office where the cameras were quickly set up for Warren’s announcement.

“People of America,” she began and the picture zoomed out to include Connor sitting next to her while Hank, Gavin and Nines stood behind them.

The announcement was comparatively short and to the point; the army was stood down, android freedom was promised and a truce called. There was still a long way to go, negotiations had only started really, but it was more than anyone had achieved before. Privately, Hank thought Jericho could go and suck it for all the good they’d done in antagonising those in charge. If you wanted change, you went to the top and sorted it quietly, behind closed doors.

Ironically, the statement went viral. Not because of the promise of equality, but because of Nines and Gavin quietly holding hands in the background. Nobody knew for sure whether they were both androids, though people were quick to deduce that Nines definitely was given his uncanny likeness to Connor. But they became the poster boys for love and Hank was hard pressed to say whether that did more good for public opinion or the actual message from the president.

In the end though, it didn’t matter. Because he got to go home, with Connor in tow and after a severe dressing down from Fowler and a new note on his disciplinary record, Hank could return to work. When Nines and Gavin finally resurfaced a week later, looking more or less presentable and in need of a good charge, they got the same treatment. It was good, great even and for the first time in a long while, Hank felt not only like he’d achieved something but he was content too.


End file.
